Machine for feeding cans



(No Model.)

. H. R. STICKNEY. 2d.

MAUHINE FOR FEEDING CANS.

No. 358,498. Patented Mar. 1, 18,87.

It CZ HI I! Wllllllll llm llll rl IIIIIIIIII 1 6 K ATTORNEY.

UNITED ra'rns HENRY R. STIOKNEY, 21), OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

MACHINE FOR FEEDING CANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,498, dated March 1, 1887.

Application filed October 28, 1886. Serial No. 217,400. (No model.)

ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

My invention relates to improvements in the method of feeding cans to machines for filling, labeling, and soldering cans, and is intended to be used in conjunction with such machines and all other machines to which a regular feed of cans is desired.

The object of my invention is to construct a device for receiving cans from a spout or reservoir and intermittently feeding them along a table to be filled from a filling-nozzle, or to be soldered, labeled, or otherwise operated upon.

The invention consists,essentially, of a spout for feeding cans in a vertical position on the table of the machine, guides to conduct the cans from said spout to a filling-nozzle, or to a part of the table where they are to be operated upon, and a cam rotating under said spout and adapted to allow the can to drop to the table, retain it for a time in place, and then feed it along between the guides to the filling-nozzle, or place where it is to be operated upon, thus producing an intermittent feeding of the cans, whereby a pause occurs, during which each can as it comes along is filled or otherwise operated upon The description is as follows:

Let I) represent the shaft of any machine to which power may be applied. Upon this shaft b are the spiral cams or sweeps a and a, which are firmly fixed at any desired point on the shaft by means of the setscrews c c.

g is the feeding-nozzle.

e is the table, upon which the cans fall and over which they are fed, and (Z (Z are guides to keep the cans in position on the table. The guides cl d are kept in position by stanchions 1, which are made fast to the table 0, The cans h fall upon the table from the vertical spouti. The position of the cams or sweeps a and a upon the shaft b is determined by the height of the cans to be fed. Thelower cam, a, should' always be fixed upon the shaft so that itslower surface will be just clear of the surface of the table 6, while the upper cam, a, should be fixed in such position upon the shaft that its upper surface will be about oneeighth of an inch below the top of the cans to be fed. These cams a a have a semicircular re-entering portion, a Fig. l, sufficient to allow the can to drop between the guides upon the table when the cams are in a certain position. Next to this portion a comes a portion, a concentric with the shaft b, and beyond that eccentric portion a".

In Fig. 2, Z is fixed firmly to a suitable part of the frame of any machine, and serves as a support for the spout z and a bearing for the shaft 6. p

The operation of my device is as follows: Suppose the mechanism to be in the position shown in the drawings, the spoutz' being filled with cans, and two cans, h h, being upon the table between the guides (Z (Z, one can being in the position of just having fallen from the spout and the other where left by one revolution of the cams or sweeps, and in position to be filled or otherwise operated upon. Poweris applied to the shaft and the cams revolvein the direction indicated by the arrow in the. drawings, Fig. 1. The shape of the cams is such that when revolving they will not come in contact with the can until they have made one-quarter of an entire revolution, and it is during this interval that the can in advance is filled from the nozzle or otherwise operated upon, as the case may be. Beginning with the second quarter of the revolution, the eccentric portion a of the cams presses against the can and pushes it forward over the table between the guides with a regular and uniform motion, so that when the cams have completed onehalf an entire revolution the can in the rear has just come in contact with the forward can, which has just been filled, or otherwise operated upon. During the second half of their revolution the cams push both cans forward until the entire revolution is completed, when the rear can has taken the place of the one just filled, and is itself in position to be operated upon. At the same instant a new can falls from the spout upon the table within the reentering space a, Fig. 1, having been prevented from so doing before either by the preceding can or by the cam a, some portion of one of which is under the spout until an entire revolution is made.

repeated indefinitely.

Should it be necessary to increase the length of time which the can shall remain in position to be operated upon, it may be accomplished by diminishing the number of revolutions of the cams.

One wide -cam may be employed in place of the two cams here shown, although by using two cams adjustable vertically I am enabled to adapt them to the feeding of cans of different heights.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for feeding cans, a base or table, a spout for delivering the cans on said table in an upright position, guides leading from said spout to a filling-nozzle, and automatic mechanism, substantially as described, for intermittently pushing the cans from said spout along the table between said guides, all combined as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The mechanism for feeding cans, consisto ing of a base or table, a spout for delivering The same process is then the cans in a vertical position on said table, guides to lead the cans from said spout, cam mechanism rotating under said spout on a vertical shaft, said cam mechanism having a reentering portion forming aspace to receive the can, an eccentric portion formed, substantially as shown, in such a manner that the can is allowed to restin place for a portion of the revolution of the cam mechanism, and is then fed along between said guides, substantially as shown, all combined as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The mechanism for feeding cans, consisting of a base or table, a spout for delivering the cans in a vertical position on said table, guides to lead the cans from said spout, two cams of identical shape rotating under said spout and adj ustabl y secured to a vertical shaft, said cams having a re-entering portion forming a space to receive the can, and an eccentric portion formed, substantially as shown, in such a manner that the can is allowed to rest in place for aportion of the revolution of said cams, and is then fed along between said guides, substantially as shown, all combined as and for the purpose set forth.

HENRY R. STICKNEY, 2D.

Witnesses:

RICHARD WEBB, FRANKLIN G. PAYSON. 

